Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Remember the nylon potholders you could make on those little weavers? Well, I am making my children quilts out of those, using yard, of course. Not nylon :) Why? Because once upon a time I made my son a Disney's Cars quilt. I did all the geometry and sewed all the triangles and squares together and it took what felt like his entire toddlerhood. The he peed on it, I washed it, and now it is in tiny pieces. And I will just never do that again. . .

Also, being a successful small business owner, I cherish every moment I have with my children. So I wanted to be able to make something for them with them. My daughter is three and has yet to master the loom. But there is a past of this quilt she can do that she enjoys. My six year old son has mastered the loom and enjoys making the squares.

I have put together this tutorial since I have had to adjust the usual way of making the potholders so that we could make them out of yarn.

All you need is one of the potholder looms, a pair of scissors and a latch hook. The latchhook can be purchased separately from those latch hook kits. The loom is in the kids crafts section of any craft store.

First tie a knot around the upper left peg. Then wind the yard around the pegs until

you get to the lower right peg and it looks like this:

Then tie a knot around the upper left peg going in the opposite direction. create a loop and pull the yarn through the vertical yarn FIRST going over ONE then going under two and over two for the rest of the way across until you reach the opposite pegs. Make sure you alternate starting by
going under or over the first one with each new row.

Then wrap the loop around the peg on the opposite side (or right side).

Hold the yarn on the left and pull that row tight.

When you are on the last peg you are not going to go under two over two with a loop like the above rows. You are going to measure one length across with the yarn, cut and then weave under and over with just the end piece that you have cut.

When you get to the end, don't tie a knot around the last peg. Turn the loom and weave the remaining piece under and over until you've reached the end of the yarn.

Repeat this step with all the knotted corners. Remove the knotted corners, pull them tight, then weave under and over until the loose end is woven into the square.

Each side of the loom should have one empty peg.

To remove the square from the loom, you will start in one corner by removing one loop, put it around your thumb, take off the next loop and put the second loop through the first one around your thumb. Then, put the loop you are still holding between your fingers around your thumb, take the next available loop and stick it through the loop around your thumb. Take the loop between your fingers and put it around your thumb, grab the next available loop and put it through the loop around your thumb. Repeat until the square ahs been completely removed from the loom.

When you get to the last loop weave it through the very first loop you removed from the loom until it is tucked under and hidden.

The edges should look like this when it is removed from the loom.

THEN cut a GAZILLION 3" pieces of yarn.

Put two squares together and connect them with a latch hook. Put the latch hook through the farthest two loops on each square. Take a 3: piece of yarn and wrap it around the neck of the hook.

Wrap the 3" piece of yarn around the hook to the right, then fold it over the neck of the hook to the left so that the bottom part of the hook can close around the yard when you pull it down through the loops. Pull the hook down through the two loops and then pull the two yarn strings tight, if necessary.

Repeat the latch hooking until all the edges are connected. You can then trim the yarn ends from the latch hooked pieces, or you can leave them as they are. My daughter liked that they look like gummy worms, so she didn't want them trimmed. :)

We just started this project today. I will show you the finished product when we are done! Can't wait to show you!!

Monday, September 23, 2013

When we make anything in our shop with a ribbon trim, I almost always recommend that the base fabric is Canvas. Because I am so specific about the base fabric I will work with, I always provide it and include it in the overall cost of the product. The ribbon designs just look better when sewn onto a fabric that is woven a certain direction.

Because I am so particular, I offer the base fabric and is always basic bright white. Occasionally I get a client that says they want to supply their own in a particular color and I say, "Sure. Is it Twill, Canvas or Cotton Duck?" And the response leads me to believe that I am reading something from someone who looks like this:

And then I never hear from them again. So here's the Basics, peeps. Premier Prints prints their fabric pattern on each of these types of fabrics. I will be showing you several similar designs so you can know to look at the descriptions of each fabric in the future to get the best result for the look you are trying to achieve.

Canvas:

Canvas is a firm, medium to heavy weight woven cotton. It is the heaviest of the cottons we are talking about today, and also the coarsest to the touch. Canvas used for home décor is more loosely woven than duck or twill. Canvas is classified in a number system based on its weight. 10 oz canvas, 9 oz canvas, etc.

The above prints are medium weights and printed on 7 oz cotton canvas. They will lie more stiffly and give a room a more formal feel. This is different form Duck or Twill which will not drape stiffly.

We will see now one of the things that makes Premier Prints a great option for a fabric supplier. You can get the same pattern on a variety of fabric types and pick the one that is appropriate to the feel you are trying to create.

Duck:Cotton Duck is a durable, closely woven ribbed cotton fabric. It is similar to canvas, but lighter in weight and not as stiff. Duck is smoother to the touch than canvas. It does not feel textured.

Duck even looks softer just in this image than canvas.

Gotcha in True Turquoise and White

This fabric option from Premier Prints is also a 7 oz cotton, but it is more tightly woven and does not have the weighty weave that creates the slubby texture of the 7 oz canvas option.

The basic 7 oz cotton is less expensive, it drapes more easily and lends a softer more casual feel to a room.

Twill

Twill is the lightest, softest and most pliable of all three cottons we have been talking about. The weave is typically done with one thread over one thread, as opposed to the above two options which are either two or over one or two over two. This is how it is so pliable and easy to work with.

For Twill, you will want to look specifically for the word "Twill" or "Cotton Twill" in the description. For example, here at Carousel Fabrics the description for this item says, "100% Cotton Twill."

Carousel Fabrics at babybedding.com create items specifically for use in baby nurseries. They only work with cotton twill fabrics as they are the softest option, easiest to clean and most durable for things like crib sheets or boppy covers where a little bit of give is a god thing.

This shade measures 35" wide by 46" long. It has a right pull cord and is lined in blackout. It is made from Yellow and White Premier Prints Chipper. It is lined in blackout.

I did not end up sending this out after I sewed the Velcro on. The needle pulled up some of the blackout onto the top of the fabric. If you click on the image you can see a closer view. It's not a huge deal and isn't very noticable, as you can see from the image. But if you look up close you can see it.

$20.00

(sold)

Robert Allen Maize Scene in Taupe

ONE flat roman shade is Robert Allen Maize Scene Taupe measures 42.5" wide by 46" long with Right pull cord, Drapery lined